Lost in Skyrim
by Grace of a Killer
Summary: When a mysterious force sends a lowly author to Skyrim, he'll soon find that he's pretty much screwed. Will I be able to get back home while dealing with Skyrim's general madness, as well as the many changes to the world, and get back home in one piece? Only one way to find out. Rating's currently in question, contains violence. (P.S. I'm not Dragonborn)
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own any aspect of the Elder Scrolls franchise, this is purely a work of fanfiction, which should be obvious considering I doubt a Bethesda employee would write fanfiction, let alone post it on the site. xD**

Hello potential reader, i'd like to start things off by saying that this will be my first attempt at a Self-Insert, given the nature of this type of story I ask that you please keep in mind that this isn't going to be the most serious of things, but at the same time I would love any feedback you may decide to leave as I am still a noob when it comes to fanfiction.

I want to get this out of the way: I will **NOT** be the Dragonborn, nor will I be **A** Dragonborn, not only do I not want it, but I feel it'd be an insult to the title if someone directly from Earth, especially an author of a story such as this, just tacked the title and ability on themselves as a form of wish fulfillment, I already have the actual Dragonborn of the story all planned out, as well as a few other characters that you may or may not be suspecting. This will not be the Vanilla Skyrim, as lovely as it is...I feel like mods are one of the main reasons people still play the game to this day, that and they can inspire some rather fun scenarios, that being said I will likely be using my mod loadout to enhance the story.

With all that said and done, I do hope that you'll give me a shot and humor this idea of a Skyrim self-insert, I know that there are a few out there, but I hope I don't take paths to similar to theirs.

* * *

The streets were silent as the snow fell overhead, it was only five o' clock and yet it was already getting dark...Gotta love Winter, eh?

I was alone for the week, everyone else was on a trip, staying at a lodge they'd rented, which didn't necessarily harm me in any way, here I had both internet and access to my games, something the lodge's computer would lack in at least one category.

My reflection was present in a mirror on the opposite side of the room, allowing me to see my image. My lithe, pale form sat in it's chair, my long, brown hair was caught between my back and the back of the chair, getting tugged in the occasions I looked away from the screen I was typing at, my bangs were pulled behind my large ears, keeping them out of my face and exposing my large forehead, I had a thin mustache and a goatee that fused with my bushy sideburns, my lazy, hazel eyes stared at the screen through the lens of my rectangular glasses, I wore a white shirt with the image of a reaper on it, black cargo pants, and white socks, my black snowshoes sat not too far from my desk in the event I do actually decide to venture outside, and my black coat was sprawled haphazardly on a nearby table.

I hung up my headphones as I saved my game, deciding to give it a break for the day, I let out a sigh of relief as I leaned back in my seat, steam practically radiating from my now reddened forehead as I quit the game, giving an invincible Miraak one last glance on my central finger as I called it quits, "Cheap shit..." I hissed, frustration in my tone.

Essentially I was just having every Miraak related problem a PC user could, I was dealing too much damage so he couldn't heal to full, he wasn't giving the audio cue by arguing with the dragons, and Hermaeus had seemed to decide that he wouldn't kill Miraak, making him invincible since this removed my only method to kill him, while it was probably my fault for having numerous mods loaded I still felt the right to complain, especially since I would likely need to force the quest to advance and disable Miraak's boss music, the same thing a friend of mine went through and warned me about.

I stretched, attempting to relieve some rage induced stress, "Mods are really the only advantage you have over the PS3, you know that?" I asked the Skyrim icon on my desktop in a semi-sarcastic manner, wishing my anger management classes had actually amounted to something so I could spend more time actually fixing the problem rather than complaining about it, but it'd run it's course eventually. Shaking my head, I spun in my chair to look towards the TV, which was off at the present moment, "Maybe this is a sign to get off, I have been playing too much recently..." I conceded, well aware that I was shirking my writing...Well, typing technically, but it's basically the same thing in the end.

As I got up and moved automatically for the door to my room I couldn't help but think about the main reason I wrote stories and played games, my overactive imagination is what sustained me, the idea of living in a fantasy setting was possibly the most alluring idea to me, even after taking danger into account.

As the door opened and I was greeted by nearly immediate stairs I moved down them swiftly, my hand running across the railing as I did in case I ended up slipping due to my haste, My only goal in mind being to get something to drink.

As I was turning the corner into the main hallway I heard the chime of the doorbell, causing me to freeze on the spot. Turning my attention towards the main entrance I blinked, my head tilting as I wondered who would possibly be here, all my friends lived outside of town and it was unlikely they'd drive through snow and ice just to pay me a visit...Paranoia at work, I retrieved my boots, my coat, and the dagger I kept under my pillow, burying it in my pocket...To an outsider this may seem like a strange practice, but i've known people in this neighborhood to do some stupid stuff, and i'd rather not be unarmed should someone try to break into my house.

Slowly I returned to the door, there was nobody on the other side, but with curiosity growing I slowly opened the door, inviting a cold wind that made me shiver...But there was nobody there, only a package at the doormat...

Looking around, I tried to look for footprints and found nothing, looking at the box...It was just cardboard with tape to seal it closed and 'DPS' written in a rather fancy way on the front, making my eyebrow raise as I questioned what it stood for, "Damage Per Second?..." I asked, pausing before I picked the box up, taking it inside before locking the doors.

Once inside my paranoia spiked as I looked at the box, it wasn't too heavy, nor was it light...If I had to make a guess I would say that whatever was inside was definitely metal...Everything I knew told me I should just toss it out, but my curiosity scratched at the back of my conscious, urging me to at least see what it was. My curiosity won, against my better judgement I feel that if it was a bomb then it would've blown up already instead of waiting for me to open it, and needless to say this was correct, there wasn't anything that seemed particularly dangerous inside.

Cardboard and bubble-wrap gave way to an almost golden metal, six walls of etched material with a circular crest home to a symbol I recognized...This cube looked almost exactly like a Dwemer Lexicon from Skyrim, but with more shine...Come to think of it, it was also more detailed, clunkier than the game's counterpart...Taking it in my hands and lifting it I had discovered it was at least the size of my head...Yet it wasn't as heavy as one would imagine.

However, I didn't have much time to contemplate the arrival of this object as a blue glow started to course through it's symbols, the cube shook as the devices inside came to life, I had dropped it almost immediately and threw myself backwards, my eyes widening in fear and shock, "What the hell!?" I practically screamed as the Dwemer device caught itself before it could hit the ground, slowly lifting itself into the air as it started to divide it's pats in a manner similar to the Lexicon I knew of and the Dwemer lock-box that held the Oghma Infinium.

Before I could even process what was happening I felt a tug ad the blue energy expanded, a darker energy emerging at the core of the device, resembling a black hole, try as I may to grab onto of something I would find that it was impossible as there was simply nothing to grip, we had a wooden floor instead of a carpet and pretty much everything was too far away for me to try and interact with it.

With a scream I found myself pulled into the darkness at the center of the device, sure that I vaguely heard something like laughter before everything went both black and silent simultaneously...

* * *

Well, that's the prologue. xD

This took me ages (months) to type due to the fact I kept switching between what I wanted to do, but I finally settled on something and this is the result. I hope to see a few people along for the ride, I also hope that I can make this a little different than other stories with similar features. (Really fearing being an accidental copycat. x_x)

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the prologue, have a wonderful day. :3


	2. Chapter 2

Hello, got excited when I woke up to find reviews and figured i'd make another chapter, I wanted to update right away because we aren't in Skyrim yet, that and I wanna set things up to hopefully allay some concerns about how things will start.

* * *

Everything was silent and dark, all except a sound I could barely register, a sensation of numbness had delayed my actions, but slowly I managed to open my eyes. The world blurry world twisted as my vision tried to adjust itself, a dull throbbing in my skull made it harder to focus as my left hand was shakily raised to my face, surely enough my glasses weren't present, but my nearsightedness would allow me to see well enough for the moment as my vision finally cleared.

Aside from the blur at a distance, I could see that I was in a vaguely lit building with walls that looked to be made of stone, to my right was what I naturally assumed was a bed considering it had the shape, pillows, and a blanket, but as I placed my hand on it I discovered it was essentially a stone slab, a smooth one, but definitely not something you'd want to sleep on, but as I attempted to get up I could feel one of my feet nudge something, I looked towards it but it was too blurry given my vision impairment and was essentially in the shadows compared to everything else in the room.

As I leaned closer to get a better look, I let out a screech of terror and practically flew backwards, my back colliding with a stone wall as I realized what I had nudged, a skeleton. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as I attempted to clam myself down, the skull of the skeleton had detached from the neck, rolling onto the floor as the formerly intact bones now separated, reducing what was once a person into a pile of bones on the floor.

Taking a deep breath, I managed to force myself to my feet, "Where the hell am I?" I couldn't help but ask aloud, I wanted to freak out, but losing it wasn't going to get me anywhere...Primarily I was concerned I might anger whatever had made that skeleton in the first place and decided not to anger the potential killer, assuming he or she was still around.

I stuck to the side of the room with a bed and what looked like shelves and a desk, it all kinda looked familiar but that wasn't my main priority, without my glasses I was pretty much left in the dark. Luckily enough I managed to find them not far from my position on the floor when I checked for a second time, sighing in relief due to the fact I could've almost crushed them earlier, yet at the same time being able to finally see straight again had invited me to use all my senses once again, allowing me to realize that the room was colder than I thought.

Shivering as my arms locked over my chest, I looked around, finally able to see this place in near-perfect detail...I was correct with my assumption that the walls looked to be made of stone, along with practically everything else, but the door and shelves, which looked to be a bookcase of sorts, were made of an almost orange-colored metal, a few oddly shaped containers in the room seemed to also be made of this, but the most distinctive being the pipes that crossed over the ceiling above, there was what looked to be a fireplace built into the wall opposite the door, and on the other side of the room from where I was light, which illuminated rather vividly a desk with numerous object on it, one such being a knapsack of some sort, what looked to be torn banners, whose colors were too distorted for me to recognize, and a shelf slightly higher than the table it was so close to, which was also pilled with things, but the most important being a red plant that seemed to radiate light, it hummed, creating the noise I couldn't recognize before.

I could feel my jaw drop, I knew of a place that looked exactly like this, but I couldn't actually be there...Could I?

Looking back to the entrance, I could feel a cold sweat start to roll down my neck, I slowly made my way to the door, carefully stepping over the bones of the one that was here before me...My whole body was tense as I reached for it, seeing no clear object to call a handle I opted to simply apply force to the door, it creaked open to let in a noise that was similar to an engine of sorts and on the other side was a large, metal sphere made of a material similar to the door. Alert to my presence, the sphere came to life in a manner of sorts, unfolding like a transformer to become an almost human-like automaton, a blade extending from it's right 'wrist' and a small crossbow unfolding over the other.

Yelping, I quickly pulled the door shut and jumped backwards, looking for anything to bar the door with, but as the door shook when the machine struck it surprisingly didn't give way and let the machine in, eventually all went silent as I could hear the noise I assumed was the robot folding back up into it's sphere form.

My heart, practically screaming at me for putting it through this, pounded wildly as I let my knees collapse, opting to sit on the floor as reality sunk in, "I'm actually here...Aren't I?" I asked shakily in a tone of disbelief, "This...This is Sinderion's Field Lab...In Skyrim, which should just be a game, but i'm actually here?"

I could feel a sense of despair and dread coming over myself, but what was I supposed to do? Tell myself everything was fine? That this was a dream?

I shook my head as I pinched myself, surely enough I could feel it, just like I felt everything else here, I had no clue how it was possible, but one thing was certain...I didn't belong here, not only that but my chances of surviving in Skyrim were abysmal at best, my only real 'combat' experience being that I could use a bow, and even that was half-assed compared to the people of this world due to my skeletal arms. All of this on my mind, I had absentmindedly gotten to my feet and moved to the desk that the Crimson Nirnroot had been planted on, it's foreign scent was doing well to snap me out of my present mood, but that didn't exactly change reality.

As I gathered my thoughts I looked over to Sinderion's skeleton, a journal with a brown, leather cover sitting beside him.

Turning my attention to this journal I slowly made my way across the room before picking it up and opening the cover, surely enough I had no clue how to read what was written within, causing me to sigh in disappointment, "I suppose that asking English to be the universal language would be too much?" I asked with a roll of my eyes, flipping through the pages only confirmed that this world and it's people did have a different language compared to our own.

Placing the journal back down at his side, I preformed a silent prayer for Sinderion, I was hardly religious, but he didn't seem like a bad guy...Then again I doubt my Earth prayer actually mattered considering the Divine probably have their own prayers and such, which I hadn't bothered to learn.

Looking to the table with the knapsack, I decided I may as well look through it, digging around to find two potions of healing, a generic book I couldn't read, and a silver ring, I sighed and shook my head as I put everything back in the sack and picked it up, i'd need something to carry stuff with and Sinderion wasn't going to need it anymore, there was also a small, sphere-like device sitting next to where the bag had been, which was likely the Attunement Sphere that gave him access to Blackreach in the first place. Picking the device up and putting it in the knapsack on my back, I looked back to the skeleton with a somewhat apologetic expression, "Sorry for messing around with your stuff, hope you don't mind..." I started, remembering that the dead in this universe actually go somewhere and could probably see what I had done. Turning back to the door I grimaced and shook as I silently swore at myself for the stupid plan I was concocting, "I gotta get out of here, god knows how long i'd have to wait for a potential rescue..."

As I slowly made my way to the door I reached into my pocket and fished out the dagger that had made the journey with me, it sorta resembled Mehrune's Razor to a degree, sheath and all, except it was thinner, the metal tip at the end of the black sheath was decorated in a dark or gothic fashion with three skulls, each getting larger as they progressed upwards, the end of the sheath, near the sword-like hilt, had a similar design but with two skulls instead of three, the hilt resembled a mantle of sorts that had skeletal arms engraved in the metal, these arms emerged from a trio of skulls at the center of the hilt, the handle itself looked sort of like a spring that had been coiled and tightened to the degree that it would no longer split, at the very end, the pommel at the end resembled something of a sinister looking heart. While fancy in design, I unsheathed it to reveal the blade, whose steel was fairly ordinary, but the blade was still sharp from when I had sharpened it, true to it's sword-like hilt, the blade was twin sided, making it look sorta like a small longsword.

Waving the dagger around in front of my face, I couldn't help but frown in disappointment at the idea I had planned for it, I didn't want it breaking but I couldn't think of anything else I could use as a weapon, especially against the machine camping outside the door, "Well, this is probably the dumbest idea i've ever had, but i'm dead if I wait and dead if this doesn't work, so..." I started, shivering at the thought of dying.

I took a deep breath at the door, sweat rolling down my body as I amped myself up, still shivering in fear as I pushed the door open. The result was immediate, the Dwarven Sphere on the other side started to unfold, but I was no warrior, or fighter, I wasn't about to give it the chance to finish.

Without hesitation I threw myself at the machine, I didn't like my chances at dodging a bolt so this was my alternative, disable the machine before it could get combat ready. I shoved my hand and dagger into the 'chest' of the machine, the Dwarven Sphere flailed around, trying to complete it's transformation as I latched onto it, restricting it's movement with the little weight I actually had, but I could feel the dagger getting stuck in places it shouldn't. Digging around, I started to dislodge and dismantle the Dwarven automaton from the inside, causing cogs and other metal pieces to fall out of place, sparks flew from the machine as I found my target, the core, which I began to strike and stab at with my inferior strength, dislodging it and essentially crippling the machine.

As I let go of it I watched as the machine fell backwards and started to twitch, the core still trying to feed orders to it's 'body', I stood over the machine, my heart still running as fast as ever as I caught my breath, with the Dwarven Sphere disabled I was safe...For the moment at least, I was well aware I was still in danger given that this was in fact Blackreach. As I caught my breath and gave myself the chance to calm down, I gave the area a brief look, taking in the sights of this underground region...The earthen roof, floor, and walls were made of stone with a dark coloration, but that could've just been due to the lack of natural light, I could see columns that led to buildings in the ruins above, the light-blueish light came from giant, glowing mushrooms that were at least the size of trees, and the Dwemer's stone structures populated what would otherwise be a bland cave seeing as the fauna here wasn't actually that interesting.

I couldn't help but feel claustrophobic, thinking about everything that was above, imagining everything coming crashing down...Needless to say, I was fond of getting out of here, the threat of the Falmer only making this escalate more.

I looked over to my right, I knew there was an elevator that would lead straight to the surface, the problem was getting around the Falmer that would be nearby assuming this world still operated on the game's logic. I weighed my options, I could try sneaking and hope the I was either quiet enough or that it wouldn't smell me, but realistically there was only one option.

Internally shaking my head, I ran for the spot I knew the elevator was at, as the platform came into view I heard a sort of angered gurgle that I recognized as the sound Falmer made upon being alerted, but if it heard then it was too late to change plans now. Soon jumping over the stone steps, I practically slammed my finder down on the glowing, blue button, running to the other side and tapping on the spear'like gate as it too it's time closing, hastily looking over my shoulder to look out for my pursuer, but once one of the bars was low enough I slipped through, not waiting for them all to go down when clearly there was enough space.

Riding the rush of adrenaline, I kicked off from the spot, jumping onto the elevator platform and throwing the lever, looking over one last time to seen a pale, deformed creature coming up the stone steps, given the poor lighting all I could make out was vague details and shapes, but luckily my dreams would be spared as the gears of the elevator sprung to life and started my ascent to the world above, saving me from seeing the creatures in person.

I sighed in relief, my heart still racing as the elevator made it's slow ascent towards the surface, a small hole in the 'sky' being my only source of light, yet even down here I could feel the cold of Skyrim rushing over me, causing me to shiver. I took a moment to look over my dagger, thankful that it hadn't chipped or anything after what I had put it through, grimacing at the fact I may need to use it against another living creature...I shook the thought off as the surface drew closer, I cold feel the fresh air filling my lungs.

"Welcome to Skyrim I guess..." I told nobody in particular as I sheathed my dagger, hoping to whatever Divine that may care that I don't run into wolves on my way to wherever I may end up.

* * *

And so it has begun. xD

I wanted to add this at the end: I do plan on having the story be somewhat realistic, also, while I would like to use magic since I favor mages...I sadly can't see a Human from Earth having magicka, at least not immediately, it's possible that they may attain it through some means but straight out of Earth? Doesn't seem plausible, as such I sadly won't have access to it until likely much later if at all.

Anyway, there's another chapter, I hope to see you all for another at a later date and I hope you have a wonderful day. :D


	3. Chapter 3

I hugged myself as my eyes greeted the cold of Skyrim firsthand, the first thing in sight being the miniature mountain ahead through the gate of the tower I was in, a path lead to this elevator but quickly diverged in two separate directions, one essentially leading a path towards Dawnstar, the other leading to Windhelm.

A groan of annoyance escaped my mouth as I stepped forwards, pulling down the lever in charge of keeping the gates locked, allowing the dwarven metal barriers to swing open, not effected by the breeze, which was luckily fairly tame or there may be frost caught in my eyebrows. I looked around, mainly focusing on the two paths, "Great, where would I be better off? A place where sleep isn't possible? Or the place with the racist dicks I can't punch in their ignorant faces?" I grumbled, not fairly satisfied with either option.

I thought about it, pacing as to not let the cold get worse, when I remembered that the path more directed to Dawnstar actually had another split that could probably take me to Winterhold. Thinking about this, I looked over towards the left path and pondered my options, sure I can't say I liked certain people that lived there, but they were much more likable than the bastards in Windhelm, plus there was always an off chance I could learn magic...

That's when reality slapped me in the face, *Even if I could learn magic, I would have to learn whatever language the people speak unless they conveniently have a spell for that...* I heaved a sigh at this way of thinking, it sucked to be crushing my own hopes, but I didn't really see Humans as a race capable of magic, if anything we'd start off with a ninety percent reduction to our magicka pool if we were talking in-game stats, and that's if we had any way to use it in the first place. Shaking my head, despite the discouragement, I started on the left path, "Even if I can't learn magic, i'd still rather go there, get everything figured out, and then deal with Windhelm later." I grimaced, realizing it was the only location out in this part of Skyrim with a reliable carriage.

Shivering, I could only imagine the horrors the Dragonborn goes through, travelling literally all the way from the east side of Skyrim to the west...Having to put up the the carriage driver yapping the whole way?

Shaking my head, I decided to stop thinking about it, I needed to stay focused because I remembered that there are usually wolves, bears, bandits, and other such problematic things on the way, and there was also one other important thing I needed to take care of before it was too late. Tugging at the collar of my coat, I saw the name tag inside, which simply read 'Briggs', "I wonder how believable that name would be to the locals...Then again, when I show up speaking English their gonna know i'm a foreigner either way." I chuckled, realizing how painful initial interactions would be.

As I made it to yet another split in the paths, one went down towards a road near a stream or river, the other lead to Wayward Pass. Looking around I was frankly surprised, usually a hostile encounter would spawn here in the game, considering there was nothing meant that this must have at least some sense of realism since it's not logically possible for some baddie to always just sit around the corner or in the middle of some road and just wait for nothing in particular.

Pleased with this discovery, I shrugged and took the upward path into the pass, a statue of Talos becoming more prominent in my vision as I drew closer, only to be overshadowed by the ancient Nordic table, the skeleton of some traveler, and some iron gear layed around it. For a moment I considered taking the shield with me but common sense told me to keep walking, not only would it weigh me down, but assuming I actually had to use it...Well, with the strength local bandits likely have then i'd end up with a busted arm, especially in a fight with an Orc or Nord.

As I passed under the rocky overhang I could hear some kind of noise and I knew for certain it wasn't the wind, I bit my lip as I realized that I was entering a region of the wild that was known for having bears and frost trolls, neither were something I wanted to meet, but worse yet was the possibility of Wolves and Ice Wraiths, and while bandits were certainly a real danger, I don't think the noise I heard belonged to anything humanoid...

As I slowly advanced, to the left I could see Alfthand, straight ahead was a strip of depressed land, a chasm if you will, that would lead to Sarthal, directly to my left, however, was solid land, if I hugged the mountains I would eventually find myself on the path leading straight into Winterhold, and with that being the easier path than taking the long way through Sarthal, I decided to walk along the edge of the rocky terrain, mindful that there was a lot of land between me and the cliff that overlooked Sarthal, but minding the fact i'd rather have something to climb to avoid danger.

As I slowly walked through the snow I silently thanked Winter back home seeing as I wouldn't be nearly as prepared for the weather as I was now and would've given up on life ages ago, I also heard a noise in the distance, an angered roar. Silently swearing to myself, I got lower to the ground and crept towards the point that was between Sarthal and Winterhold, there I saw the source of the noise I had been hearing.

A bear with white fur stood on it's hind legs and swung at a Wood Elf, barely armored given all he had was fur, a hunting bow flung from his hands as the bear swiped at him, a small splash of red erupting from the point of impact, bloodying the beast's white fur and the snow at it's feet, the injured elf had been knocked onto his back, a gash across his chest, tearing through his 'armor', leaving him to resort to trying to back away, drawing an iron dagger from the sheath at his side.

His skin was tanned, his dark-grey warpaint was worn in a very...Bosmer fashion, sorry if that description sucks, but with their abstract markings I was struggling here, he looked fairly athletic, somewhere between muscular and thin, his orange, elvish eyes looked kinda like a wolf's from this distance and were presently wide open with fear, his short, dark-brown hair was spiked backwards in a way reminding me of Drevis Neloren's, he was wearing the version of fur armor that actually had a brown 'shirt', his fur 'cape' hung proudly over his shoulders despite how obviously fearful it's master was right now, he wore pants made of the same material as his shirt, hide boots and gauntlets covered his hands and feet, and a quiver of steel arrows was strapped to his back.

I looked closer between him and the bear, it's coat was already a little reddened, arrows sticking out of it's pelt.

I was stuck in that moment, feeling a little queasy at the sight of how much blood had been spilled, curious as to why he wasn't using his bosmer powers to calm the bear, debating whether or not saving him was an option. I bit my lower lip as time felt like it was standing still, if I ran I could probably stop the bear from killing him, but even then...What was I supposed to do? I had a dagger, I had no real experience with it, no muscle, and no guts...

I then looked to the bow on the ground, at least five feet away from the offending bear, the arrow not fired not far away...

Was it worth it? I didn't want to sit back and watch someone die, nor do I think I could live it down if I snuck off while the bear was distracted...If I got the bear's attention maybe he could finish it off assuming I can't...

my teeth began to grit as I internally swore at this display of stupidity, I sprung from the place I had been crouched at and ran towards the bow, the bear's right ear twitched as I did, causing it's head to turn, the Bosmer formerly cowering was now shouting something, but seeing as I had no clue what he was saying I decided to ignore him. As I slid for the bow, taking it and the arrow in hand, the bear had decided to turn and waste time roaring at me, trying to scare me off or intimidate me, and while it was working I had kept running, leaping onto a small ledge and getting into a stance to where I could take a shot, my left foot stepped forwards as I drew the string back with my right hand, my left eye closing so I could get a better estimate of the arrow's trajectory.

The bear wasn't about to have it though, soon it was back down on all fours, forcing me to re-adjust, but before I could figure out if it was going to charge me or turn it's focus back to the Bosmer it had cornered, I watched as he sprang up from behind it, taking hold of it's pelt and plunging his dagger deep into it's right shoulder.

I bit my lip as I tried to zero in on a fatal shot, but the bear openly resisted the Bosmer, shaking wildly and throwing it's weight around in an attempt to get the Hunter of it's back, who was equally unable to aim for his target, the beast's neck. Almost every time I thought I would have a good shot the poor Wood Elf ended up looking like he'd be in the path of the arrow, I considered the possibility of letting him and the bear struggle for a bit, the less energy it would have the better, but as I thought of this the bear had stood back up and swung backwards, flinging it's attacker off it while sending itself into a roll in the snow, the blood from the Hunter's chest staining it's fur.

As the elf struggled to lift himself up the bear was already shaking itself off, surprisingly haven't broken it's ankles in it's spin, snapping the arrows in it's hide which likely angered the beast further, with one last wail the beast reared up to tower over the weakened Bosmer, but before it could bring it's claws down on the man I finally had the shot I needed.

Letting the arrow fly, I watched as it traveled to it's target, piercing the frigid winds and embedding itself in the back of the beast's head, causing the towering beast to flinch on impact as the damage set in. Blinking, I planted the tip of the bow's bottom limb against the rocky surface I was standing on, watching as the towering beast slowly collapsed on it's right side, having put more pressure in the direction as it was about to come down with it's left paw, I looked past the beast to see the wounded Bosmer panting as he stared at the beast that almost took his life, I then almost dropped the bow as he slid forward, planting his face into the snow.

Jumping down from the short ledge, I ran towards him, "Oi! I risked my life to save you, don't you die on me now you bastard!" I shouted in a mix of panic and frustration, I shoved the man but got no response, on checking his pulse I discovered that he still had a heartbeat so there was still time.

My left hand's fingers clawed into my scalp as I shakily tried to figure out what I should do, I then realized I had healing potions, biting my lip, I hastily rummaged through until I found one, uncorking it before forcing it to his mouth after escalating his head so it'd travel down his neck, instead of ending up in his lungs. I watched for a moment, his wounds didn't exactly seem to heal, but he did cough, his eyes had struggled to open as he tried to regain consciousness. Sighing in relief, my heart still racing, I hoped that I had managed to help this guy avoid death, planting the hunting bow between the straps of my knapsack, I offered the man a shoulder, which he struggled to accept.

I looked towards the path to Winterhold, knowing that we were basically just outside, "Well, not how I thought i'd end up getting into town..." I muttered, leading the walk. I could hear the Wood Elf struggling to say something, "Pal, I don't know if you can tell or not, but you're kinda wasting your breath." I mindlessly stated, well aware that he wouldn't know what I was saying either.

I resisted the urge to cough with the scent of his blood so close, it was only worse now that it was on my coat, but I had to suck it up...At least this way I may get some favor with the locals, and if not...Well, there's always the satisfaction of saving a life.

As we got to the top of the hill the path was formed on, I looked upon Winterhold with my own eyes for the first time, I could see the the buildings, a mix of stone and wood, to the left was Birna's Oddments, complete with steps leading to the second floor from the outside, just begging for a break-in, directly straight off the path was the Frozen Hearth, the local Inn, to the right of the path was the Jarl's Longhouse.

Setting the sense of amazement to be in a fictional place aside, I continued to move forward, part of me wondering exactly where I should go...

As we arrived at the main 'street' I could see Winterhold Guards looking over, I couldn't make out their body language or expression, one of which for obvious reasons, but one of them asked something as they closed the distance to us. The paling wood elf told them something, I wasn't too sure how this was going to got considering these guys were with the Stormcloaks, but the guard seemed to be willing to lend a hand, he looked at me and said something but instead of me having to talk the Wood Elf said something that made the Guard freeze.

He stared at me for what felt like a solid minute before nodding hesitantly, I suppose I shouldn't be the one to say anything about paranoia...

He gestured for me to follow, so I did, I followed him down the street until we arrived at the place I was fairly sure we'd have to visit. The stone architect was impressive, the one standing guard looked inquisitive as to what was going on until she saw the wounded bosmer, though her duty forced her to approach with hesitation.

My feet were moving for the sake of the stranger at my shoulder, but everything else was focused on what lay at the other end of the bridge...

The College of Winterhold.

I stopped upon sensing the Hunter stop, but unfortunately I had to open my mouth, "So awesome!"


	4. Chapter 4

My hands lifted my chin as I sat in the cellar of the Frozen Hearth, instead of being taken to the college we were told to wait for a healer to come, or so I figured when Colette showed up at the Inn to treat the Bosmer's wounds, then for some reason or another one of the guards dragged me down here and essentially gave a gesture to wait, poking me in the ribs before pointing at the ground.

As I sat there I couldn't help but feel annoyed by this treatment, but I was a little more thankful than I probably should be, I could feel the warmth from the fire above seeping through the floor, providing me the most relief I've had since I woke up.

The more I thought about it, the more it made sense, they already have to be careful enough with the locals, letting a complete foreigner near their school would've been a recipe for disaster if it was all just a my head, I had focused on something other than my urge to see the college in person, replacing it with the fact that the people seemed...Different, all the faces i've been seeing were cleaner, smoother...While they looked as though they had always been real, the people didn't look as rough as I would've thought.

I then remembered my mod loadout, I did have mods that improved the way people in Skyrim looked...I wanted to shake my head with disbelief, but I had no reason to turn a blind eye towards anything anymore upon accepting that this place was very real, *So this is a semi-realistic world of Skyrim, and it's almost definitely modded...* I thought to myself, not leaving out the possibility that they just looked better in person, *If so, what's it based on? Because if it's my loadout...*

I subconsciously shuttered at the thought of a Dwemer invasion, there were a few other scenarios that came to mind but most of the mods I had either added spells, armor, or weapons, so hopefully this focus would take away from some of the danger, assuming it was based on my loadout of course, otherwise all bets were off, I would be completely screwed.

I bit my lip, "I really hope i'm wrong about this..." I muttered to myself, not wanting to think about the possible challenges that may arise. The wait seemed to persist, but it gave me time to think about my situation, sure it wasn't perfect but I was in a decent place, *Assuming that I can learn the language the locals use, possibly learn magic, and plead my case...Winterhold's really one of the few places that might have what I need to get back home.* I thought to myself.

The fact was that I could only see magic sending me back, and Winterhold was the best place to be for that...There was one other option but I despised the idea, it was possible the knowledge i'd need may be in Apocrypha, but I loathed the idea of going there, not only for safety reasons, but for two major reasons, the first being that I honestly hated Hermaeus, the second being the fear of possibly selling my soul for a ticket home only to get trapped somewhere upon death.

Personally, I wasn't religious, as stated in the past, but I did believe in souls, and I didn't like the thought of being chained down by some lording figure, which is one of the reasons I hated being here on Tamriel...They had gods, and they had proof...

On Earth I could say 'Oh my God' or things of the such, but here they actually hear you, and they can remember what you say, they can have you killed without needing mindless fanatics to decide to do it for them.

I shivered at the thought, making a mental note not to anger a Daedric Lord while I was here, and to hopefully avoid their attention.

The more I thought about it, the worse things got, there were plenty of things to avoid while I was here...Like becoming a Vampire or Werewolf, making good friends...All in all, even learning magic may be a bad idea...What if I can't return home due to having elements of this world?

Before I could continue to strain my mind thinking of all of this, I heard a noise, footsteps. I blinked, looking towards the door, and eventually it opened to reveal two figures that had been talking on their way down. I recognized the two characters almost immediately having mainly played a mage in Skyrim, they were Tolfdir and Drevis, the instructors of Alteration and Illusion respectively, the ladder of which was reading through a dusty book with a symbol I hadn't recognized.

The two of them wore a friendly face, but I could see that they were still cautious, it was in their eyes, hidden, but there.

The two had approached the table I was waiting at, both taking a seat on the other side of the table, Drevis layed the old, worn book he was reading on the left side of the table he had occupied, Tolfdir fished through a satchel strapped to his side, he has asked something given his tone but since Drevis hadn't responded I could only assume it was directed to me, "Uh...What?" I asked in plain English.

Seemingly finding what he was looking for, Tolfdir pulled out a leather journal and opened it, laying it on the table to reveal empty pages, the two seemed to discuss something as Tolfdir's left hand was light by a green light, a few translucent, abstract cubes appearing in the air over his palm. Apparently amused by my reaction, which involved me leaning back and going 'Ooo', he chuckled, Drevis had said something in return and his right hand hovered over the alteration spell, causing it to change as streams of purple purple light danced around the now red set of cubes before running down his arm, circling the air around him before the light and the cubes were fed into the quill in his right hand.

I watched curiously as Tolfdir started writing something, I couldn't make out what it read, I was more concerned about what they were doing with that spell, I hadn't seen anything like that in the game or a mod.

When it was done the two had stopped whatever spell they were using and the journal was turned towards me before it was pushed a little closer, my left eyebrow rose as I leaned towards it and read, but as expected, I had no idea what was there...At first, I practically leapt backwards as the odd language before me started to glow as the letters I couldn't understand took shape into the English alphabet, the longer text on the other side of the page explaining it.

My jaw dropped, I wasn't entirely sure what to make of it, but Tolfdir and Drevis seemed to be excited about something, likely the spell's success.

I watched as the Alteration instructor turned the journal back towards himself and his fellow mage, the two openly conversed as they looked over the alien language before them, then looking to the old book, my best guess was that this book contained a form of translation spell that hadn't needed to be used for some time...But this made me question the extent of this considering this would've made a certain mission for the Thieves Guild MUCH easier...Unless it was in the Arcanaeum, in which case they'd have to go through a grumpy Orc and an army of Atronach.

They ran through the pages, I could tell that Tolfdir was a little frustrated about something, but eventually they seemed to find what the were looking for and seemed to both cast a spell on the journal while closing the pages, upon re-opening, the blank pages on the opposite side had what seemed to be an index for translating Whatever their language was to English.

Seemingly accomplishing what they had come for, the two had got up, seemingly still giddy about their success, and were about to take their leave, Tolfdir had said something but I think the both of them were offering a friendly goodbye, leaving with a look that seemed a little less tense than their arrival. Soon the two of them were back up the stairs, both books in hand, leaving me with a blank expression as I contemplated what the hell just happened and how it worked.

So I stared at some magic letters and they knew the change form so I could understand them? What kind of magic was this?...Oh wait, Alteration and Illusion, that's what.

Sliding backwards, I stared ahead, not really sure what to make of the situation...Was I supposed to wait here while they learn English or something?

I sighed, slapping my palm to my face, "And I don't even have the internet to keep me busy while I wait for whatever i'm waiting for..." I grimaced, "Suddenly Skyrim's not very fun anymore..."

* * *

It was a new day and I was spending it in a cellar, staring down at a book that had apparently been sent to me, with a note that was...Decently written in English, but since it's sender had only started to study the language the other day I suppose I couldn't blame him.

"Young Man, if you're able to read this then the spell was successful and we've managed to find a way a way to communicate with you." I read, ignoring parts that were misspelled or simply mis-said, "If you're wondering why you weren't charged for sleeping at the Inn, your rent was payed for by your friend, who is on his way to recovery, we have sent you a copy of the journal we were able to translate to help you learn our language, I hope to hear from you soon."

The note had been sent by Tolfdir, I was amazed they managed to crank out a dictionary from a journal, but I suppose that it was called 'magic' for a reason.

I couldn't help but feel a little thankful for that Hunter as well, I have no clue where i'd have to sleep if it wasn't for him...Assuming of course the college didn't decide to pay for rent or let me stay over there.

Blinking before turning a few pages of the dictionary-sized 'journal', I frowned as i started reading the letter translations, "Oh lovely...So this is what learning a new language is like..." I groaned, remembering how poorly I remembered languages learned in school, "Well, unlike then I HAVE to learn now, so that's gonna make this so much more fun..." I stated, flipping through some of the pages, "With no pictures for reference either..."

I could feel my brain start to cry as I forced myself to start from the beginning.

* * *

Sorry for the short chapter, I had more planned but the thing is...Not being able to communicate is becoming a pain, i'm obviously not going to perfectly learn the new language, but i'd rather be able to have a basic conversation with someone over skipping their dialogue entirely.

I also wanted to state what kind of person I am so you'll know what to expect when the action finally kicks up. For lack of better words: I'm a snake, i'm opportunistic, if I don't think I can do it or there's no way to manipulate the situation then I would probably avoid it entirely, and given my endurance in real life this means I would be running, a lot, or sneaking. I also don't think I would be able to approach the idea of killing anyone or anything I see as a 'person' meaning almost any man or mer, so killing Bandits isn't exactly something you should expect until later on unless it's life or death, because let's face it, almost everyone likes to live and those people tend not to go down without a struggle.

I hope you could enjoy this despite it's shortness, I hope at least some aspect of this chapter was interesting, and I hope you all have a wonderful day. :3


	5. Chapter 5

Yet another chapter, but before it begins i'd like to thank everyone that's reviewed so far, feedback really is a driving force for me as I get giddy every time I see a review's been posted. xD

Anyway, thank you for enjoying so far, I hope you continue to in the future chapters to come. :3

* * *

I never knew that I could be so bored in a Fantasy setting...

I lifted my head from the book before me to look around the Inn, in hopes of finding something to do while I was learning the language of Tamriel I discovered an unavoidable issue, namely being that there was nothing to do here in Winterhold...When I took breaks I either ended up watching people go about their boring lives, a certain drunk trying to convince the owner of the Frozen Hearth to allow him to drink more...But that was essentially it.

Not sure what more I should've expected from a ghost town, but it was now even more dreadfully obvious that the college was really the only thing this place had going for it.

The Wood Elf I had saved had approached me a few days back after recovering, by that point I was able to at least learn his name, but I can't say that I was exactly fluent as I struggled with everything past a greeting. His name is Faralas Dornwood, which admittedly was a cool name in my opinion, he seemed friendly enough and ended up dragging me on a sort of hunting trip, but since he hadn't recovered completely we stuck to the area where he had first encountered the bear, the trip was fairly uneventful but he seemed happy enough to be able to venture out again, I had also discovered he had a small campsite not too far from the bridge of the college.

Skip forward about two days and we arrive at the present point of time, I wouldn't be lying if I said I was hoping for Faralas to show up and force me to delay my studies, but unfortunately I didn't have the luck of receiving an excuse.

As I continued to read a few things became much easier to understand, however there were still numerous large words that I just accepted as impossible with my present understanding, realizing that soon I would need to put what I know into practice and hope it's not too embarrassingly illiterate for the sake of my already waning confidence.

I suppose it's also worth noting that the Jarl of Winterhold didn't seem to care for my presence, the only accusation I could make out being that I was likely faking, using gibberish to feign being foreign as some kind of Imperial trick, not sure why I didn't expect this coming from a Stormcloak-Backing Jarl...Though this encounter had made me realize that I did in fact support the Empire and knew some things that the people of this world didn't, if I wanted to I could potentially pester these fools, and that's one of the things that helped me sleep at night.

However I also discovered yet another factor that held back my search for a way home, which was explaining to the Archmage that I was from another world and wanted to find out if they had anything that may have what I need to go back, all while trying to be completely serious without sounding like a crazy bastard...Something told me that even if I got in to see the Archmage and tell my story, without merit i'd likely just get kicked out...Sadly this meant that the Daedra were presently my best shot, and given that I absolutely refused to work with them I was essentially stuck...Though I did have a plan.

I was from another world and was technically summoned here, and I knew spells to banish summoned creatures existed, while I wasn't a Daedra or anything like that it seemed like a good place to start...The only problem was trying to trick someone skilled with conjuration to use it on me...If it failed then nothing really changes, if it sent me back home then I won, but if it sent me to Oblivion or something like that...Well, I was basically screwed, which wasn't very different than just living in Skyrim anyway, so I technically had nothing to lose.

My only other thought to get out of this mess was the Augur of Dunlain, given his exceeding knowledge of things such as the Eye of Magnus and the like, I figured that he was probably the best choice I had for a last resort, and if he didn't know...Well, I was still screwed, as stated with basically every choice that didn't involve getting back home.

I sighed, shaking my head, *If I don't get back, then what happens? I get chewed up by a dragon or murdered by some bandits?* I mentally asked myself in a dry manner, *What happens if I really am stuck here? I guess this will require more planning than I initially thought.*

Breaking away from this line of thought, I finally closed the journal, realizing that I wasn't getting anything done in the first place, but luckily my distraction had arrived as Faralas strolled inside, making his way to my table before taking his seat, a smile on his face, "Good evening Briggs, I take it i'm not interrupting anything?" he asked, reminding me that I settled on using my real name but claiming I had no family name for safety reasons.

I shook my head, "Just finished, still terrible." I stated, shrugging as I did, a frown on my face to show my disdain, but thankfully he knew why I was frustrated.

Chuckling to himself, Faralas grinned, "You say that as though you'd rather not understand." he stated in a non-serious manner, to be honest he seemed more energetic today as this conversation felt more...Casual, "Don't worry, you'll learn to speak some day."

I couldn't help but shake my head but smile in response to this, "Laugh it up." I stated, shaking off the taunts, "What's up?" my question had caused him to become confused as I internally facepalmed, "I meant what brings you here?" I stated, correcting myself.

I knew my Earth lingo didn't exist here, but being used to it made it hard to give up, even when saying it in a different tongue.

Nodding, Faralas grinned widely, "I went searching for something to do and found a merchant looking to buy venison out near Windheld, perfect chance to make some gold, eh?" he asked with a nudge.

I blinked, first off, I was surprised he had ventured that far, sure he had pretty much recovered but you'd think he'd be a little more cautious, second off, he had a point about making gold, the few septims to my name were made by chopping firewood, and frankly I preferred the idea of hunting considering it made things a little more interesting...That and i'd like to have made more than ten septims per two 'logs'...I realized that it didn't exactly net a lot of gold in the game or for people in person, but I still kinda felt like they were taking advantage of the foreigner...

I hummed as I thought about it, running it through risk vs reward...There could be bandits out there, vampires, and all manners of hostile wildlife...But gold...I could use that to buy things, obviously, like my own bow so i'd at least have one if I needed it, hell, I could possibly use it to get a spell tome and find out whether or not I could actually preform magic.

The fantasy of tossing Ice Storms around in my head, rational thought ended up taking the back seat as I grinned back at my elven friend, "Count me in!" I stated with a little more enthusiasm than I naturally displayed.

* * *

Hunting Bow in hand, Steel Arrows in a quiver on my back, I followed Faralas as we ventured towards the wilderness between Windhelm and Winterhold, deciding to go where there was likely more game.

We stuck to the road for a little, long enough to pass by the Shrine to Azura, which overlooked us from the mountain above, I couldn't help but shiver, feeling as though we may be watched...Setting paranoia aside, we eventually got off the road and snuck our way towards one of the Barrows on the side of the road, creeping along the sides while looking out to see a group of deer in the distance.

Faralas watched them for a moment, but instead of immediately starting to hunt, he spoke, "You know, the Archmage allowed a member of the Thalmor to stay at the college, you know who they are?" he asked, not looking at me.

I paused, "I've heard of them, yeah." I stated, "They're the bad guys..."

Faralas waited for a moment, "Well they certainly don't give elves a good name, especially here in Skyrim." he stated dryly, his left hand clenched into a fist, "I wanted to bring you out here to tell you that I overheard the Jarl, he thinks that you had something to do with their decision..."

I grimaced, "Of course, blame the 'spy'...Any clue why?" I asked, attempting to get all the answers.

He nodded, "It's your connection with the college, when he figured out you were in contact with them when you arrived he came to the conclusion that you and the college may be working together to attack Winterhold from the inside." he stated, reaching for his bow and aiming at one of the deer, "Look, I know you aren't a bad guy, but I think they may be planning on a way to force you out of Winterhold, and that's thinking positive..." he stated in a serious tone, "I don't know if it's safe here anymore, unless you were to be sheltered by the college, but...That might make things worse for them."

I blinked, considering this before following his lead, drawing my bow and taking aim at another deer, subconsciously shaking but hiding my fear, "So...What do you think I should do?" I asked, hoping he may have an idea to get me out of this mess.

I didn't have a reason to disregard his warnings, the guards did always keep a close eye on me whenever I was in the open, that and the Jarl barely hid his disdain for me...Hell, if what Faralas was saying is true then I could get killed just because the Archmage let Ancano into the college...And this also didn't mean great things for the college, they probably wouldn't care but I still wouldn't want to risk them getting attacked over something so stupid.

Faralas nodded, "I have a friend that lives in a house near a small village called Riverwood, if I explain your situation I might be able to help you out." he stated, taking a shot that fell one of the deer with large antlers, the arrow piercing it's skull, killing it instantly.

As the other three looked up, startled from our sudden disruption of their day, I fired an arrow of my own, piercing the neck of another of the male deer before the others took off. I let what he had said sink in, there was a chance I could seek shelter in Riverwood, but this came with a price...If I left I would be less likely to get in contact with the college...Unless...

There was always the chance I could learn magic from a tome in Riverwood, try and hide my appearance, and return, hell, if all else failed I could just send a letter via courier and hope they don't think i'm crazy for what I tell them.

Sighing, I conceded that trying my luck with the Stormcloak faction wasn't the brightest idea, the idiots wouldn't listen to reason even if I had proof...I would have no choice but to take a few steps back in my plans, having little to lose or not, I did love living, "If you think it'll work and pay off, then i'll go with it." I stated in a defeated tone.

Faralas must have sensed my disdain as we got up to move to our prizes, I felt a hand meet my back, "Hey, don't worry." he stated, "You won't be missing much."

I wished I could tell him just how wrong he was, but I feel that even with our friendship he still wouldn't get it, or believe me.

*Well...Time to see what a legend looks like I guess.*

* * *

And the drama begins, i'm not sure if this will be fairly opposed, but essentially this is implying that Ancano will be at the college for awhile before his fallout with Mirabelle when the player arrives for the first time, despite the fact it seems he's recently new to the college by that point. This gives him time to figure out what the Midden is before the whole 'Eye of Magnus' thing, which I feel would be fitting because...Honestly, while he's obviously trippin' when the Eye is present, who'd really tell him about the Augur? Sure Tolfdir's friendly but I doubt he'd be blind, it just doesn't seem logical to me... x_x

Again, I hope this isn't a hated decision as I also need it to get within range of Riverwood to fulfill a plan I have, something that will hopefully be an enjoyable choice later down the line.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I hope you have a wonderful day, and I hope to see you for the next one. :3


	6. Chapter 6

I want to start this chapter off by responding to the most recent reviews. :3

Koal: I've actually been considering this, and the more I look in the mirror I feel they'd see Humans as something like a mix between Imperials and another of the Human races in their world based on different features, mainly the average Human is shorter than the average Nord, in fact they may even confuse me for a Breton, or at least half Breton, given my large ears. xD

Gordon Keenan: Oh, I wouldn't worry too much about that. I may not have some fancy powers, but Humans do tend to find ways to work around their problems, for better or worse. :3

* * *

My legs were screaming at me as I followed Faralas down the road to Windhelm, making me wish there was a cart guy in every hold despite how annoying interacting with them would be, but to my legs right now their voices would be like those of an angel. I had a large bag on my back, similar to the one Faralas was carrying, loaded with venison that was weighing me down, pile that on with the long walk and you had everything you needed to make your body hate itself.

Faralas chuckled, feeling my gaze burning a hole into the back of his head, "What's wrong Briggs, I thought you wanted to get stronger?" he asked tauntingly, I only hissed like a cat in response, earning a hearty laugh from the elven hunter, "You really do need help, you wouldn't last a day in your condition."

I frowned, "Laugh it up..." I repeated, "How much further do we need to go, and how has nothing attacked us yet?" I asked, genuinely curious about both things. Sure the venison was covered right now, but you'd think it'd still give the local wildlife something to smell, that or bandits would see us as vulnerable and come to screw our day...But nothing, only an agonizing walk.

Faralas hummed, "Good luck I suppose, are you complaining?" he asked, still happy that our ride's been smooth so far.

I bit my lip, "Oh, don't get me wrong, I love how uneventful this trip has been so far...I just find it kind of weird..." I stated, "I mean, I figured that I would be screwed from day one, but the only threat i've run into was that dwe-I mean bear that attacked you!" I corrected myself, almost bringing up events Faralas didn't need to know.

Faralas's left ear twitched and he looked at me over his shoulder, "Huh, dwe-?" he asked, probably catching on.

I internally grit my teeth while putting on a straight face, looking for something to get out of this situation, luckily I had what I needed as I pointed at a rather rocky mountain, "Oh hey, what's that?" I asked, a curious tone.

Faralas blinked before looking forwards again, "Oh hey, we're almost there." he stated, sure enough as we came to a curve in the road we got our first glimpse of Windhelm's walls and the buildings beyond them. Faralas whistled, "Well, we're here, what do you think?" he asked in a questioning tone.

I looked over the almost black stone walls, they were rather cool in person...But I only cared for a limited number of people beyond those walls, also not exactly fond of the genocide-leading man that was rumored to build them. I put on a neutral expression and shrugged, "Meh...I've seen better."

This statement earned another laugh from Faralas, "Don't let the Nords catch you saying that." he stated in a joking tone, but he was probably right, I should especially keep my opinions to myself in front of certain Warriors living in Whiterun since I didn't feel like swallowing my teeth.

I chuckled, "I'll keep that in mind." I stated in a simplistic manner, "So, where's the guy we're looking for?"

Faralas looked back towards the wall, "He'll be over near the bridge, we'll have to go through Windhelm to get to him."

I blinked, grimacing, "Ah...Was there another way we could've gone to avoid that?" I asked, not finding the idea of entering Windhelm as enjoyable.

Faralas shook his head, "Of course, but that would take longer, making us more vulnerable, besides-" he looked back at me with a grin, I glared at him, knowing what he was about to say, "Given how lazy you are, i figured you'd want to take the easy way."

I growled, "And he said it, he just came out and said it!" hissed, seemingly making the elves day since this outburst seemed to cause some pain in his ribs as he burst into laughter yet again. I sighed, "How are we friends again?" I asked in a blank tone.

Faralas calmed himself down to a chuckle, "Relax, i'm just having fun." he stated with a smile, "But seriously, i'd rather put up with the locals rather than risk getting raided in the dark, wouldn't you?"

I blinked, he had a good point, especially given how wolves in this world seem to attack you from miles away for no reason, that and the Vampires pretty much owned the night, "Eh, you're right...Hopefully they'll just ignore us, i've...Heard things about the people here." I stated in a subdued manner, "I'm not even an elf and I don't want to be here."

Faralas nodded, a frown on his face, "Oh, don't worry, it's not just elves that have it rough here..." he started, "Pretty much everyone that isn't a Nord has to put up with the struggles of living under the Stormcloaks, even the races of man." He looked at me, "Speaking of which, I don't think i've ever asked what you are."

He wasn't wrong, something I was fairly thankful for since it showed he didn't seem to care about race, but now I was in a bit of a pickle...Tell the truth or lie...I bit my lip, "Well, i'm not from Tamriel, something you could probably guess given my language issue." I stated. Faralas nodded, waiting expectantly, I sighed in response, "Well, my kind simply call themselves Human, it's short and gets the point across." I stated, shrugging, "Nirn is a big place, I wouldn't be surprised if my homeland was unknown to others."

I wasn't sure if Faralas bought it, but he seemed to respect that this was a matter I wasn't comfortable discussing and accepted it, for now at least, "Maybe so, but bringing it up so close to others probably isn't a good idea, you'll have to tell me of this home later." he stated in a carefree manner.

I looked back to him, acknowledging the fact we were coming in sight of of the docks, which had numerous people around at the time, "Yeah...Thanks." I stated, deciding to clam up while we were here.

As we got closer i couldn't help but look at some of the Argonians, could you blame me given how...Outlandish they were? Luckily I didn't stare for too long and I found us walking up the stairs towards on of the gates into the...City? Surely enough there was a guard stationed at the gate, he watched us carefully, "Stay out of trouble, elf." he stated to Faralas, who faked a smile and nodded as he passed by, the guard then looked to me, "That means you too...Breton?" he stated, not entirely sure if he was right.

If this was Earth I would've put my hand to my chest and leaned back to display offense, but there was no point doing it here as I doubt the locals would get the reference.

As we entered the city I looked around, it was certainly...Something, I mean, it was cool and all, but with how sorta run down and almost ancient things looks I couldn't help but question how people actually could stand living here, the only thing that really looked perfectly stable were the walls and the palace...Though I suppose the buildings are still standing for some reason and nobody seems concerned so i'm likely just being judgmental.

We passed through the Dark Elves quarters and frankly it looked a little worse for wear than everything else, not that i'm surprised, and on the way out we saw some drunk Nord shouting at a Dunmer for something that likely wasn't their fault...I just bit my lip and kept walking, realizing there wasn't anything I could do.

When we finally reached the main gate and passed through it I walked up to Faralas's side, a frown on both our expressions, "Only a few moments and I already hate the place..." I practically whispered.

Faralas was silent for the most part, but eventually responded, "You get used to it..." he stated in a simple manner, a little sorrow buried in his tone.

* * *

I groaned as I leaned back in the seat of the cart, "-There once was a hero named Ragnar the Red-" the voice sang, melting my brain on a subconscious level.

Faralas looked confused as he sat across from me, "Briggs, is everything alright?" he started, concern in his tone, "You look a little pale."

I fought to lean forward despite my fried brain functions, "Don't stat would you..." I hissed, meaning to have said start, suppressing my urge to shout, *Join the Bard's College will ya!?* as the cart driver's poor singing scratched against my brain, the small talk from previously still etched in my cranium.

I could swear that somewhere in Oblivion some Daedra was laughing at my misery, that bandits actually wouldn't attempt to raid the cart simply out of pity, and that says something.

The cart driver hummed, "You lot have picked a good time to travel, the weather's fine, bandit attacks are on the low, we should be able to reach whiterun with no trouble." he stated, apparently having stopped singing at some point.

Relieved, I sat back up and sighed, "Thank god..." I muttered in English so they couldn't make it out, looking over the back of the cart, I watched the landscape as we passed it...Most of which was obscured by rocky, mountain-like growths, that and almost everything was coated in snow...But it was still kinda beautiful to a degree, aside from looking like a frozen wasteland. I looked up to see the sky turning slightly darker, "We're gonna be there in the dark, aren't we?" I asked, speaking coherently once again.

Faralas hummed, "Probably, it's a long ride after all." he stated, looking to the sky as well, "When we get to Whiterun it's likely we'll need to stay at either the Bannered Mare or the Drunken Huntsmen, unless you feel like taking your chances with the wilderness."

I bit my lip, "Ha! You're funny." I stated in a sarcastic manner, "We'll stay at one of those places for the night, there's no way i'm going to risk meeting a hungry wolf while I can't aim." I stated in a serious manner.

Faralas nodded, "Drunken Huntsmen it is then, I know the guys that run it and they have more available rooms." he stated with a smile, "Let's just hope my sister's home when we get to Riverwood."

I blinked, looking to Faralas with a confused expression, "...Come again?"

It was Faralas's turn to look confused before realizing what he had just said, "Oh right, I forgot to mention that." he stated apologetically, he then paused, "Be sure to keep anything you hold valuable hidden, I can't say much but...Riften's like a second home to her." he stated in a simple manner.

I blinked, *Oh no...* I thought to myself, *Please don't mean what I think you mean...* I leaned forwards, my left eyebrow raised, "Uh...What exactly do you mean?"

Faralas looked to the back of the cart driver's head, the man was humming so he leaded in towards me, "You...May be staying with a practiced thief for awhile" he whispered quietly, "But don't worry, everything should be fine, i'll be there." he stated as he leaned back in his seat.

I slowly sat back, considering this...I would be temporarily living under a roof with two Bosmer, a hunter and a thief...The fact it was his sister wasn't what was important anymore, girl or not she was a practiced thief.

I sighed in frustration, letting gravity take me backwards, "Wonderful, I guess it's going to be a safe house for two reasons now..." I groaned.

The cart driver looked over his shoulder with a confused expression on his face as Faralas smiled at me with a nervous expression, a drop of sweat rolling down his face, "Eh...Don't worry about the small details."

* * *

And so the journey begins. xD

Originally I was going to have a sort of character preview in this chapter but I felt like it gave away a little too much about the character, leading me to cut it out, so sorry about that...Besides, this gives us a little more time before things get cranked from one to eleven.

Before I leave off I want to explain my reason for not liking the Cart Driver: While yes he is relatively harmless and nice to a degree, I can only imagine how terrible it must be to ride on that slow cart between holds...What with the awkward conversations to fill the silence, his singing, bandit attacks, when part of the cart breaks down or the horse needing a break...It just seems like hell and I just kinda associate it all with the driver...That and he annoys me because he'll say "You best hurry up" or "I can't wait here all day" literally a split second after you hand him the gold. X_X

Anyway, I hope my reasoning is justified, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I hope you have a wonderful day. :3


	7. Chapter 7

It was night when we arrived, just as predicted, we were still on the road but Whiterun was within sight, looking towards the Watch Tower I discovered that it was still standing, meaning that I must've arrived before the Dragonborn. As the cart pulled into the stables we got to our feet, bid the cart's driver farewell, and started walking the path to the city's gates, being passed by some of the local farmers that were on their way home.

Faralas smiled, "So Briggs, you still cold?" he asked, not looking back.

I took a moment to think about it, this part of Skyrim wasn't as cold, but it was still a part of Skyrim so that didn't necessarily mean much, "Oh, i'm still cold, just not freezing." I stated in response as I looked towards the walls, more specially Dragon's Reach, "By the way, how do you know the owner of the Drunken huntsmen?" I asked, genuinely curious.

Faralas chuckled, "How do you think I bulk up on arrows?" he asked in a simple manner, to which I nodded.

"Makes sense." I started, after a moment of silence I decided it was finally time to ask, "So...What exactly is your sister like?" I asked, my right eyebrow raised.

Faralas scratched the back of his neck, "Well..." he started, "Eh, that's not important right now." he stated, dodging the question.

Soon we arrived to the gate, the twin guards said nothing as we went in, though one of them nodded at Faralas, who returned the favor as I got my first glimpse of Whiterun's streets with my own eyes. I can't say I was too impressed, immediately I saw Warmaiden's, Breezehome, the Bannered Mare all the way at the end of the street before us, and the Drunken Huntsmen, which was across the street from Warmaiden's.

It was the same layout I had come to expect from Whiterun, but it was still probably my second favorite city in the game, so a smile came to my face regardless.

* * *

I groaned as we walked the path to Riverwood, the sun was rising in the sky, I could hear the running river as we passed by Honningbrew Meadery.

Faralas let out a yawn as he looked at me over his left shoulder, "What's wrong this time?" he asked, confused by my behavior once again.

I frowned, "Nothing...Happened." I stated in a bland tone, "You would think something cool would happen when arriving in a new place but no, we stayed at an inn for a night, checked out, and left town..." to be honest, this was almost as disappointing as when I asked where the bathroom was, only to eventually learn that it was replaced with buckets, which I will admit was probably the most cringe-worthy part of Skyrim so far.

Faralas chuckled, "Life isn't always an adventure my friend."

Yawning in return to this statement, I put my hands in the pocket of my coat, recalling the glances my odd apparel had earned me on my way to this point. Eventually we arrived at our destination, I could see Riverwood plain as day, but what I was more concerned about was the small house across the river, built next to the log the treasure would be in if you had got the map from the bandits, I followed Faralas's lead as we crossed over, ignoring most of Riverwood itself since we were so close to where we needed to be.

Due to the sloped earth, the house was built on a supportive platform with stairs leading up to it, other than that it looked like a basic home.

Faralas put a hand up, essentially telling me to wait, "I'll go tell her, if she's here that is." he started, but before he could even leave the corner of my vision I watched as a thin arm wrapped around his neck and pulled on him, causing him to release a a small whine that made me internally laugh...I immediately felt like a dick afterwards.

"Faralas! Long time no see, come to pay me a visit?" a woman's voice asked.

I turned completely to see Faralas struggling to escape his sister's grasp, or at least I assume it was his sister since she was a Bosmer, and that's technically not racism as Faendal's really the only other Bosmer that actually lives here. She had smooth, light brown skin...Well, aside from a scar that ran down her left cheek, she also had black markings resembling three claw marks across her face, running from the top of the right side to the bottom of her left, her black, short hair was combed back for the most part with only her left bangs sticking out, her orange, wolfish eyes matched Faralas's almost perfectly, she wore the Thieves Guild's uniform, confirming my suspicions, an elven bow was strapped to her back with a complimentary quiver of elven arrows, an elven dagger was strapped to her left hip.

Faralas groaned, trying to pry himself out of the situation he was in as I chuckled at his misfortune, "Hey Beorneth, long time no see..." he started, "Can you let go of me please? You're kinda embarrassing me..."

Beorneth chuckled before complying, as she let him go she backed up a little, planting the knuckles of her left fist into her waist with a mischievous expression, "What's wrong Faralas? A sister can't tease her brother in front of his friends?" she asked, her gaze turned to me, seemingly sizing me up before extending a hand, "Beorneth Dornwood, good to see my brother managed to make a friend that isn't an elf."

I almost laughed as I heard a 'Hey now...' escape from Faralas, but smiled as I shook her hand, "Briggs, no last name, nice to see that Faralas isn't as cool as I thought he was."

Beorneth snorted as Faralas's arms went into the air, "Yes yes, good friends..."

As Beorneth withdrew her hand she walked over to her brother before putting her right arm over his shoulder, "We're just teasing you, don't get so upset." she started, "So, to what do I owe my brother's sudden appearance?" she asked in a curious manner.

Faralas looked to me before looking back to her, "Can we discuss this inside?"

* * *

Beorneth cupped her chin in her hand as she let the story sink in, "So you're friend here is a foreigner, and the Stormcloaks have something against him?" she asked, a serious tone to her voice, but eventually she leaned back in her seat with a smile on her face, "All you had to say, I don't mind."

Faralas and I smiled, although I did have to raise a question, "Just like that?" I asked, frankly not sure I was capable of believing her.

She shrugged, "Why not?" she asked, "I hate the Stormcloaks and you don't seem like a bad guy, if Faralas trusts you then you can't be too bad." she stated, "But don't think you can just stay here, I expect you to pull your own weight." she stated, a serious expression on her face, "I may have a little coin, but i'd rather not be burning through it."

I nodded, "I wasn't planning on being a parasite." I stated, looking around to see that the place didn't seem to be too bad off.

Beorneth nodded, but now it was faralas's turn to ask questions, "Has business been bad?" he asked curiously, "Usually you're the last person i'd hear talk about saving."

She looked to him with a frown, "It was going just fine until I started getting more into the Thieves Guild, for awhile their bad luck caught up with me, so I had to back out a little to save my pockets." she stated, "When I stopped being a more...helpful member, my luck started coming back...Guess what Delvin said about a curse was true." she muttered, looking towards the table.

Faralas blinked, not sure what she was saying, but I recognized it far too well...Part of me wanted to reveal Mercer, but that would pose more risk than it was worth...That and I lacked proof, so there was no point in getting involved.

Beorneth then sighed and looked back up with a forced smile, "But that's not important...I just figured a quiet break here at home would do me some good." she explained, "You guys are free to stick around, but like I said, you're on your own when it comes to food."

Faralas nodded with a smile, "Thanks sister, I appreciate this." he stated with a warm tone, I followed his lead since I felt it was necessary, that and his sister didn't seem like the bad guy I was portraying her as in my head.

She shook her head, "Come on Faralas, we're family, for Divine's sake." she started with a chuckle, "I'm not gonna kick you out when you need help, just don't wreck the place while you're here."

Faralas grinned, "Rules I can live by." he stated in a simple manner. Soon he get up and motioned for me to do the same, "Well, we'll be back in awhile."

Beorneth tilted her head and looked at us in a curious manner, "Taking off already?" she asked in an inquisitive tone.

He nodded in response, "Yeah, I wanted to show Briggs around Riverwood, besides, he'll need a job anyway." I groaned at this as I stood up, earning a laugh from the siblings, "You may even have a thing or two to teach him later on, he's a fan of magic after all."

Both I and her looked at each other with a surprised expression, frankly I didn't see her as a mage, but I suppose there's always that thing about judging books by their covers, "Really?" we both seemed to ask simultaneously.

Faralas chuckled, "Yeah, my sister's an illusionist, how else do you think someone with her personality could pull off theft?" he asked, taking this as a chance to get a little payback.

Beorneth glared at him, "Hey now..." she started, "I'm the best thief I know, I don't need illusions to know that." she stated, clearly confident in her skills...Or really headstrong, but I guess I had no way of knowing.

As Faralas chuckled and moved for the door I slowly followed him, "Well, I don't really know anything about magic, so if you could put up with an idiot like me pestering you then i'd be thankful." I stated with a smile on my way out.

She snorted, "We'll see, good luck with job hunting." she stated with a wave as we closed the door behind us.

Faralas smiled at me, "Good to see you're making friends already." he stated teasingly.

I shrugged, "Eh, she's probably the coolest girl I know." this statement seemed to make Faralas burst into laughter.

As he calmed down he looked towards the village across the river, returning a wave sent his way by Faendal, "So, any idea where you'd like to work?" he asked without looking.

I hummed as I looked at the mill, an obvious choice...But then I looked past it, remembering that a certain someone may be in need of an assistant, or at least a student, "I'm...Thinkin' of something..." I stated with a small smile forming on my face.

* * *

Another chapter has come! xD

We have not only arrived at Riverwood but now we've met Faralas's sister, Beorneth Dornwood, an Illusionist Thief that may be able to teach me a thing or two...Then again you could say the same in reverse, but I suppose we'll have to wait and find out, eh? xD

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I hope to see you next time, and I hope you all have a wonderful day. :3


	8. Chapter 8

Faralas and I approached Alvor at his forge, on the way there part of me thought about asking about dragons since the Western Watchtower was still standing in Whiterun, but I then shrugged the idea off realizing how suspicious i'd look later if it hasn't happened already. As we walked up the steps I soon found the heat of the forge comfortable, as long as I wasn't on fire I could appreciate any warmth in this land of cold.

As we approached, Alvor acknowledged us with a nod, "Faralas, it's been some time." he stated in a friendly manner, still working the forge.

Faralas smiled, "It has, I can still remember you teaching me how to make arrows." he stated with a chuckle.

I raised my left eyebrow as I looked to him, "I thought you bought arrows in bulk?" I started, trying to piece this together.

Faralas nodded, "Well, I do make them at times, but I prefer to be ready for when I run out." he stated, earning a nod from both of us.

As I was about to say 'Makes sense' Alvor acknowledged me, "And your friend?" he asked, "We don't get many visitors here in Riverwood." he asked, pulling the burning red metal from the forge before working it with the hammer.

I watched as the iron started taking the shape of a sword, "Well, my name's Briggs, i'm actually going to be staying around here for awhile." I stated, not mentioning the foreign descent or how I was basically forced to leave Winterhold.

Alvor chuckled, "Interesting name you have there, i'm Alvor, hopefully you won't get too bored around here." he stated, not seemed to dig too far into my name's roots, for that I was thankful, "So, what brings you boys here? Looking for a sword, maybe a bow?"

As Alvor placed the sword-shaped metal into the basin for cooling a cloud of steam came up from it, "Actually, I was kinda hoping you could teach me a thing or two about smithing." I stated.

Alvor paused, looking at me for a moment, "Well...I was looking for an assistant." he started, "How good are you with a hammer?"

I thought about it, I had seen videos of blacksmiths, but I have never actually been in their shoes, and it was likely not easy, "Well...It'd be more of a learning process than anything at the present moment." I admitted.

Alvor hummed, "Well...At least you're honest." he started, "I'll tell you what, since you're one of Faralas's friends i'll give you a chance."

Faralas and I smiled before looking back to him, "T-Thank you sir, I promise i won't let you down." I stated.

Alvor let out a hearty laugh, "None of the 'Sir' nonsense you hear, i'm a blacksmith, not a general." he stated before getting back to work, "It'll have to be at another time for now, i've got a few orders to fill."

I nodded, "understood, and thank you again." I stated as we started down the steps.

"Don't mention it."

Faralas looked at me as we started on our way towards the 'gate' of the village, "Well, looks like you've got some training to do."

I nodded, "Yeah, i'm guessing it's not easy..." I started, receiving a nod, "Well, it'll be worth it if I can get good at it."

Faralas nodded, "It would be a helpful skill to have, wouldn't it?" he asked with a smile, "Hopefully you learn smithing faster than you learned our language." he stated teasingly.

I glared at him, "...You're not helping."

Faralas chuckled, "I'm just saying, it'd be nice to have a friend that could make glass arrows."

I shook my head, "Please, i'll have that much skill when the Dwarves return to Tamriel." I stated in a sarcastic manner.

* * *

Beorneth looked up at us from the table she was sitting at as we entered the doorway, "Welcome, any luck?" she asked in a bored manner.

Faralas nodded, "Indeed, Alvor's going to give him a shot at some point, right now he's too busy though." he explained as he pulled up a seat.

I took this chance to look around, it seemed like a basic room, there was two doors, one in the wall at the back, another in the left wall, the room we were presently in was the dining room, complete with a large, rectangular, wooden table, six chairs, a fireplace with a pot over it, two cabinets, which were clearly storing things, and a chest.

As I pulled up a seat I looked back towards the siblings, "Yeah, here's hoping I don't get sparks in my eyes." I deadpanned.

Beorneth's left eyebrow rose, "How would you get anything in your eyes with those...Things, over them?" she asked, referring to my glasses.

I chuckled, "They're called glasses, then again I guess nobody around these parts would know about that, odd considering the only other person to ask me about them was Faralas." I stated, looking towards him.

Faralas looked to his sister, "Apparently they help him see better, I can't for the life of me understand how though." he stated.

His sister hummed and before I could figure out what was going on everything had become blurry as wind hit my face, Beorneth had reached at me with such a speed that she snatched the glasses off my face before I could even register it, "Oi!" I hissed, watching the blurry image of her putting them over her eyes.

She frowned as her right eyebrow raised, "These make you see better? If you you must be blind...Or I broke them." she stated.

My right cheek puffed out in frustration as I reclaimed them before putting them back where they belonged, my vision returning, "First off, there's nothing wrong with your eyes, mine on the other hand are damaged and can only see things close up." I explained, "Second off, the glass lenses of my glasses are specially made for my vision in particular, and technically the vision of those with my same problem and sight level."

Both of them blinked, their heads tilting as I seemed to lose them at some point, I merely sighed and shook my head in response.

Faralas then looked to his sister, "And this is why I don't get it, especially since i can't figure out how he'd damage his sight without losing an eye to begin with." he stated.

Beorneth shrugged, "Maybe it was illusion magic?"

I groaned, "It was too much light, it's not good for your eyes, especially at a young age." I explained, correcting them.

The two of them seemed to just give up, but Beorneth seemed to still be bored, "So Briggs, you like magic, right?" she asked, gaining my attention almost immediately, "You want to try it out?" she asked, picking up a red tome that had apparently been sat somewhere beside her, the cover of the book having the illusion school's symbol on it.

I thought about it, Illusion wasn't likely the best place to start given mana cost, and even then there was the question of if I could do magic to begin with, "Is...It safe for me to start off learning from illusion? Is there something easier?" I asked, trying to reach a conclusion.

Beorneth chuckled, "You won't exactly be casting spells right off the bat, magic doesn't work like that." she stated, "You can't just cast a spell because you read a book, you need to learn first...Besides, you don't even know anything about basic spell casting, do you?"

I shook my head, "Not really, no." I was relieved that things seemed to make a little more sense when it came to spells here, although it made me wonder if i'd be as thankful later on if I really can do magic.

Beorneth placed the book o the table before pushing it towards me, "Great, start off by reading that, we'll move on from there if you can actually channel magicka." she stated, leaning back in her chair.

Faralas, clearing his throat, got up, "Well, this sounds fun and all, but I think i'm gonna go visit Faendal." he stated, making his way for the door, "Probably go hunting, bring back food, have fun studying." he exclaimed before leaving.

I blinked, this was either an elaborate set up...Or studying magic was really that boring...

As I opened the book the color drained from my face as walls of text bombarded my eyes, my enthusiasm following said color on it's way out, "Oh no...Don't tell me it's really this boring..." I accidentally said aloud.

Beorneth hummed, "At first, but once you can actually cast spells it gets better." she stated, her arms crossed over her chest with a smirk on her face, "The longer you wait the longer it'll be, so get reading."

I could feel my brain groan as I wondered exactly what I had got myself into.

* * *

Beorneth watched me closely, her arms crossed over her chest, as I started the channeling process, I had read up to this point and she basically told me it was time to try channeling Magicka to see just how much I could.

I was completely focused, taking long, deep breathes as I started to try and bring the focus of my body's energy to my hands, which were being held in a spell casting-like manner...Unfortunately this resulted in nothing, after a solid hour I dropped it and sighed, Beorneth frowned, "That's odd, i've seen children that could channel before..." she muttered, "Maybe your magicka pool is just too low on it's own..."

I looked to her, "So magic's out of my reach?" I asked, an empty tone.

Beorneth sighed and shook her head, "No, i'm not saying that." she stated, "What I mean is that maybe your magicka pool is so low that you'd need an enchantment to help you out, i've seen that be the case before." she explained.

My right eyebrow raised as my head tilted, "There are other people as bad off as me?" I asked, not sure what to make of that.

She nodded, "There are a few cases where some can only channel with one hand due to not having a certain amount of magicka, but there are a slight few that can't channel at all." she stated, "This is one of the things that make most give up, but if they have an enchantment give them enough magicka they can channel, and from then they can get stronger until they don't need to rely on the enchantment anymore."

I thought about this, it made sense considering how that could also be the case in the game sometimes.

"However, once they have a decent pool to start with, channeling won't be enough to make one stronger." she explained, "After that they need to cast actual spells to get stronger and increase their magicka, that's all clear, right?"

I nodded, "Yeah, I think I understand." I stated, "So for now there's no real point until I can get a hold of one of those enchantments, right?"

Beorneth frowned but nodded, "Sadly, yes, continuing to try now would just be a waste of time, breath, and energy." she stated, "But this just means that you can focus on something else for now, I imagine it'd be tedious to be taking classes for both magic and smithing, no?" She asked, her frown turning back into a smirk.

I wasn't sure whether I should take that as an insult or not, but I shrugged it off...For the most part she didn't seem to mean ill intent so there was no reason to be so paranoid about it, luckily enough for me I didn't have to wonder for much longer as Faralas opened the door, a large sack on his back, likely containing venison, "Hey, guess what i've got?"

Beorneth clapped her hands together, "Good, time for food!" she chirped as she moved to help him out.

I watched from a distance, lost in thought for a moment, watching them kinda reminded me of my own family back home...Shaking my head, I sighed, thinking about it wasn't going to change anything.

"Oi, let me help too!" I exclaimed as I moved towards them, "I'd feel like a jerk if I didn't do anything."

...Partially true, but the truth is that I needed a distraction right about now.

* * *

Another day, another chapter...Then again i'm not sure if this is a daily thing, I just kinda type when I feel i'm able. xD

Anyway, I wanted to address something in a recent review: I can't really give any hints as for the timeline, but don't worry, you'll **know** when the Dragonborn's arrived, you can trust me there. xD

Expect the next chapter to contain time skips, but I do plan on sharing a lot of what happens in that skip, and that it's completely necessary to avoid 'filler' chapters that won't contain much heart, I hope that's not too bad a thing.

Well, I hope you liked this chapter and I hope you have a wonderful day. :3


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